Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy, is a urological disease in which the prostate enlarges and constricts the urethra. BPH affects a majority of the male population over 50 years of age, and is thus of great medical and commercial importance.
Surgical treatment of hypertrophy of the prostate has been a routine procedure for many years. One method of such surgical treatment is open prostatectomy wherein the gland is totally or partially removed. Another method of surgical treatment is transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). However, surgical treatment is an extremely invasive procedure which is debilitating, painful and often traumatic to the patient. Various complications including impotence, incontinence, bleeding, infection and other undesirable problems attendant with such surgery can result.
Another procedure to treat prostatic hypertrophy is to place a catheter at the external opening of the urethra and into the obstructed portions of the urethra, allowing urine to pass from the bladder by way of the catheter lumen. These urinary catheters typically employ a positioning or retention balloon at the distal tip which inflates at the bladder neck and prevents the expulsion of the catheter from the body.
Heat, such as produced by microwave or laser energy, may be provided in combination with such catheters for treating the enlarged portion of the prostate. However, this procedure may result in pain and discomfort to the patient
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